When Husqvarna introduced the Svartpilen 801 earlier this year it elevated its scrambler-style “black arrow” into a new league by adding a second cylinder for the first time. There was never much doubt that a street-biased Vitpilen (“white arrow”) 801 based on the same platform would follow, and here it is.
The essence of the bike is familiar. Like the Svartpilen 801 it uses an engine and chassis evolved from the KTM 790 Duke, albeit in a Husqvarna-tuned form. But the styling is a surprise evolution of the familiar Vitpilen form that first appeared a decade ago with the Vitpilen 401 concept bike that appeared at EICMA in Milan back in 2014. Borrowing an idea from sister brand KTM and machines like the new 990 Duke, the headlight is a bi-LED projector unit that “floats” within a ring of LED running lights, but where the KTM version brackets its headlight between two angular side elements, the Husqvarna variant is a clever update on the oversized circular lamp that’s been a Vitpilen signature since the model first appeared. The LED ring around the main headlamp forms an oval halo, slightly slanted rearward, that evokes the look of earlier models while managing to be instantly recognizable and distinctly modern.
It’s a design that instantly makes other models in the Vitpilen and Svartpilen lines look dated, and inevitably it’s likely they’ll be updated in the near future to adopt the same style. Get past that headlamp, though, and things become more familiar. The tank and seat are straight from the existing Svartpilen 801, revealing how closely related the two models really are. When the Svartpilen and Vitpilen models first emerged, initially in single-cylinder “401″ form, they were clearly differentiated by their stance, wheels, and riding positions. The Svartpilen had wire wheels, chunky tires, and wide, tall bars to evoke old scramblers, while the Vitpilen had alloy wheels and low clip-on bars for a café racer appeal. More recently that distinction has deteriorated. Vitpilens have gained a wider, higher, one-piece handlebar, and the Svartpilen 801 uses the same cast alloy rims as the Vitpilen 801. There’s still a difference in riding position, but the two models are much closer than their predecessors were.
The engine used in the new Vitpilen 801 is identical to the unit in the Svartpilen 801 and familiar from a host of other machines including various KTMs and even CFMotos. It’s KTM’s original 799cc LC8c parallel twin—now replaced in the latest KTM 990 Duke by a completely redesigned, larger-capacity twin, but still used in bikes including the KTM 790 Duke and 790 Adventure, and CFMoto Ibex and 800NK. The version used in the Vitpilen puts out 105 hp at 9,250 rpm and 64.2 lb.-ft. of torque at 8,000 rpm, harnessed through a six-speed gearbox and offering three preset riding modes and one configurable one. An IMU means the bike is fitted with cornering traction control as standard too. Options include a quickshifter and an additional Dynamic mode that lets you choose from 10 levels of traction control and enables a switchable Supermoto setting for the antilock brakes.
The frame is similarly familiar, as it’s the chrome-molybdenum chassis that again first appeared on the KTM 790 Duke, equipped with WP Apex suspension like the Svartpilen 801’s components. Despite the “scrambler” style of the Svartpilen and street-oriented stance of the Vitpilen, both have identical wheel travel and similar ground clearance. They also share the same brake setup, with Husqvarna-branded J.Juan four-piston calipers up front, plus cornering ABS, and identical 5-inch TFT screens with the usual smartphone connectivity for navigation, calls, and music.
Going forward it’s odds-on that more Husqvarnas, including the smaller Vitpilen 401, will adopt the same headlight design as the Vitpilen 801. Can we also expect bigger KTMs like the 1390 Super Duke R Evo to spawn Husqvana-branded derivatives? If the Vitpilen 801 proves to be a success, it’s a logical route forward.